Lisbon, June 9, 2025 (Lusa) - The Islamic Community of Lisbon on Monday warned against “unfounded accusations” against Muslims in Portugal, recalling that freedom of religion is a right of all Portuguese citizens.
The Islamic Community of Lisbon (CIL) “feels obliged to respond calmly but clearly to the wave of unfounded accusations that have been directed at our community and, more generally, at Muslims living in Portugal,” the community’s leadership said in a statement released today.
The community expresses concern about the increase in “publications and speeches that, by distorting facts or resorting to dangerous simplifications, attempt to construct the idea” that the presence of Muslims “represents a threat,” accuses the CIL, without specifying.
The dissemination of these messages, “almost always rooted in prejudice or bad faith, (…) undermines coexistence and hurts the principles that sustain Portuguese society,” adds the community, which reaffirms its respect for national laws.
“Our faith is part of who we are, but it has never been, nor will it ever be, an obstacle to our full participation in society,” argues the CIL, adding: “We are part of this country. We have been here for decades. Here we study, work, raise our children and contribute like everyone else to collective life.”
A week ago, an Afghan citizen was sentenced to 25 years in prison for fatally stabbing two people at the Ismaili Muslim Centre in Lisbon, but the CIL says that any individual case should not affect the reputation of Muslims, who have also been targeted by the far right in Portugal.
For the CIL leadership, “responsibility is individual”, so “if someone, whoever they are, Muslim or not, commits a crime, they must answer for it, but as an individual”.
“What we cannot accept is that isolated acts are used as an excuse to attack an entire religion or a community that lives in peace,” maintains the community, which is concerned about the current times, in which “misinformation is worth more than the truth” and in which there is a “division created between ‘us’ and ‘them’”.
“Portugal is a plural and secular state governed by the rule of law” and freedom of religion is a right enshrined in the Constitution, which cannot be called into question by “discourse that feeds on fear and provocation”.
In this sense, the CIL asks everyone - “journalists, opinion leaders, authorities and citizens” - to be vigilant, because “hate speech is not just noise: it is a seed that, if ignored, can bear bitter fruit” and “history is full of examples”.
In the face of these attacks, the CIL “will continue to make its way with dignity” in Portuguese society: “We will not allow ourselves to be intimidated, we will not allow ourselves to be distanced from the values that unite us. We are here. This is our home, this is our homeland and this is where we want to continue to build and contribute, together with everyone”.
PJA/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
